Lionel Messi equals his nation's leading scorer as Argentina frolicked to a 4-1 win over Venezuela in a Copa America quarter-last in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Saturday.
A Messi objective in the 60th moment took his profession count for Argentina to 54 objectives, coordinating the record held by Gabriel Batistuta.
Messi's strike supplemented two early objectives by Gonzalo Higuain, while substitute Erik Lamela finished the defeat.
Chile's Eduardo Vargas (right) celebrates in the wake of scoring against Mexico amid the Copa America Centenario quarterfinal football match in Santa Clara, California, US, on June 18.
Argentina, who are looking for their first Copa triumph following 1993, were the better side all through yet Venezuela made their life simpler with some slack safeguarding and an awful punishment miss by Luis Manuel Seijas.
The outcome implies the 14-time champions will confront host country the United States in next Tuesday's semi-last in Houston.
"It was a critical diversion and it feels great," Higuain said thereafter. "Until Tuesday is not a great deal of time but rather we will turn our head to that. We should check whether we can win."
Argentina have lost quite recently once to Venezuela in 20 matches and they got off to the ideal begin after only seven minutes when Higuain plunged to turn a sensitive cross from Messi past goalkeeper Dani Hernandez.
The in-structure Napoli striker made it two 20 minutes after the fact when he locked on to a slack back-go from Arquimedes Figuera to round the goalkeeper and space the ball into the unfilled net.
The objectives stirred the underdogs enthusiastically and Salomon Rondon twice approached, once bringing an amazing recovery out of Sergio Romero and after that seeing his header crash off the post.
Venezuela ought to have pulled an objective back two minutes from half-time after Romero cut down Josef Martinez in the case. Be that as it may, the Manchester United goalkeeper vindicated himself when he stood firm and Seijas' imprudently dinked punishment cruised directly into his arms.
Messi, who began without precedent for the competition after three substitute appearances, put Argentina 3-0 ahead when he worked an exquisite one-two with Nicolas Gaitan and afterward jabbed the ball under Hernandez with his left foot.
Venezuela were not out of it, however, and Rondon got the lightest of touches on a cross to head home and make it 3-1 following 70 minutes.
Be that as it may, their trust was fleeting as Argentina counteracted it seconds after the fact when Lamela, who had been on the field just four minutes, shot home from 12 meters to make it 4-1.
The outcome solidly sets up Argentina as the top picks to lift their fifteenth Copa America and equivalent the number held by Uruguay.
The other semi-last will be between Colombia, who beat Peru on Friday night, and Chile, who trounced Mexico 7-0 later on Saturday night
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